Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Vermont Family, and Fleeing to Florida

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Back to Our Roots on Maryland’s Eastern Shore

October was a month of reconnecting with friends from our college, single and early married days in Delmarva.   We got to show the kids the Salisbury City Park and Zoo, Salisbury University (our Alma Mater), Bargain Bill’s flea market, and the church where we were married.

Salisbury University has come a loooong way, and so have the McSweeneys! Only a few months before two of our own will pose for a picture on their own campuses!

 

John and I stand on the steps of United Centenary Methodist Church in Laurel, DE. Only 8130 days and four children before, we ran through these doors dodging birdseed!

Make new friends, but keep the old…

Introducing the kids to my former church family and the precious friends who poured into us when we were just starting out was more emotional than I had expected. Somewhat sad to realize our lives have taken different paths over the last 17 years. But it was a thrill to get to share this part of our lives with our kids who are almost the age John and I each were when we first came to the Shore. We got our fill of laughter, blue crabs, and whiffs of chicken houses. And craft supplies from Hobby Lobby.  Mwahahahahaha!

 

Sunday worship and a leisurely time to catch up over pizza at Grotto’s with this dear couple did my heart such good. Tom and Kim Birowski were my spiritual mom and dad in college, and Tom was one of the two pastors who performed our wedding. Good job, Tom. It “took” 😉

 

Fred and Debbie Antonelli dropped by our RV for some hugs. Fred was one of the pastors who married us, and was a huge influence in John’s early days as a Christian. He is now a counselor and author.  I can’t wait to read Fred’s new book, Struggling Well

 

One of my fb friends has been posting pictures of what I’d been missing every summer, but no more! We finally got to the Old Mill Crabhouse and it made me SOOOO HAPPPYYYY!!!

 

Green Mountain State

We arrived at Mt. Ascutney just after the peak of the Vermont’s amazing foliage display. The weather was lovely, and spending time with John’s five aunts was lovelier still. Uncles and cousins joined in to share delightful stories about John as a cute little kid, and John’s parents as youths. This helped to fill in some of the picture of our children’s rich McSweeney and Hauck heritage, as both John’s parents passed away before their births.

 

Getaway Mountain Campground was lovely and gave us our first inkling that owning an RV campground just might be a good future for us…stay tuned!

Introducing THE AUNTS!

Aunt Ruth Ann took us to Star Farm, the “camp” where the McSweeney family spent their summers, and where John’s father and mother first met.

 

Aunt Liz in her new sweater from Ireland

 

Aunt Marilyn lives right on Lake Champlain and let us shower at her home. She also works at the Shelburne Museum where we passed two delightful afternoons!

 

Aunt Kitty with Uncle Jack at their lovely home in Stowe, VT. From here we visited Bingham Falls and cabins on the property that John’s dad and two uncles at one time owned.

 

Aunt Martha and Uncle Dean took us to Lake Mansfield Trout Club where many McSweeney reunions were held. Two weeks before our wedding, I wrote my vows in front of the fireplace in the lodge, then returned four years later with Baby Daniel!

 

More Apple Cider Anyone???

If anyone of us had received a flesh wound those three weeks, I swear we would have bled apple cider, thanks to the aunts who kept us amply supplied!  We were also introduced to Vermont Cheddar Cheese.  We will never be the same. Oh, yeah…and Lake Champlain. After I return to Echo Reservoir in Utah to retrieve the part of my heart I left there, I will need to make a trip to Lake Champlain to find the rest of it.

Lilly tastes Vermont Alpine Cheddar for the first time. Ruined, I say. The girl is ruined.

 

Lake Champlain as viewed from the cliff behind the Elk’s Lodge where we parked the RV for 2 weeks. Sharing this sight with my children is one of the highlights of the trip so far.

 

The Cold is Coming!  Run Away, Run Away!

As October came to a close, the weather took a turn and we began to be concerned for the functionality of our RV’s heating and water systems with the dropping temperatures and forecast of snow. John and I looked at each other and said, “What are we thinking?! Our house has WHEELS!  Let’s go to FLORIDA!”

I was grateful that we were able to keep our plans to briefly visit two friends in Upstate New York on the pathway of our evacuation. Also on our route to warmth was the Ark Encounter and land hunting in Williamstown, KY, a magical evening by the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, and a visit with a dear high school friend in Atlanta, GA.

 

We had an excellent day at The Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY.

 

Sarah collects shells at the edge of the water at Chattanooga’s Riverwalk. Unhurriedly delighting in the wonder of youth. This is why we are doing what we are doing. This is living.

 

Tune in next time to find out where we went next, and to hear Grandma say, “BEST SURPRISE EVER!!”

 

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Comments

    • Oh, yay! I’m so glad you liked it! I have so many pictures and things to say–it is hard to pick the highlights but I’m learning 🙂

      Reply

    • We very much enjoyed seeing you, Rose, meeting your family, and relaxing in your lovely home. The hug you greeted me with when I MADE IT will be a highlight in my mind forever. You cheered me on and waited patiently for our arrival, and the Lord brought us together at last. Thank you also for your encouragement in getting started in some leisure activities!

      Reply

    • I know! I’m so sad! I was sick as a dog after Christmas and lost time that I could have spent visiting 🙁 NEXT TIME I should be less busy since I have done all the organizing in the storage units that I plan to do till we settle down again. Hope you are well, sweet friend!

      Reply

  4. Lovely trip recap.
    So glad you are chronicling it all, Chris… it will be lovely to read through this “album” in years to come.

    Reply

    • LOL, I read through the whole thing the other night and really enjoyed it! It got me wanting to get back to posting. Thank you for your continuing encouragement, Vicki!

      Reply

  5. I read your blogs Sis! I am so glad for you and your family that you’re getting this chance to do this trip “Together”.

    I love you and miss you!

    Brudder

    P.S. I will get a solo Instant Pot under my belt soon! I’ll let you know!

    Reply

    • Hiya, Brudder! I was just looking at a little video of us after we cooked an amazing meal together AGAIN! I will continue to feed you recipes–you go, Instant Pot Hero!! Miss you and love you, too 🙂

      Reply

  6. Love and miss you, my friend! Enjoyed your recap. So glad I got to spend time with you when you were here in MD.

    Reply

  7. LIkewise! And good thing we forgot our BB&B coupons, so we could see each other TWICE! I treasure your friendship and look forward to our next visit 🙂

    Reply

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